A £5m proposal for Dobbies to take on a former Focus DIY unit and combine an entranceway with an existing Tesco store at Inshes retail park in Inverness could mark a Scottish first for the garden centre chain.
The Highland Council has now received formal plans for the development, which, if approved, would mean the UK's second joint Tesco and Dobbies store after the proposed King's Lynn development, due to open next spring.

Combining the "everyday Tesco shop" with the "Dobbies leisure experience" is all part of presenting "a new style of customer experience" according to the Tesco Group, which has owned Dobbies since 2007.

The Dobbies centre will offer more than 10,000 plants, shrubs and trees, an extensive outdoor area and specialist aquatics department. It will also house a restaurant.

Around 120 jobs will be created with the venture, and in-house training will be provided to ensure 50% of all staff have specific horticultural expertise.

Dobbies' director of property Stuart Wright said: "We have taken a great deal of time to ensure we find the right site for the Inverness community and are pleased to be submitting an application for an exciting new destination at Inshes retail park.

"Our plans demonstrate a new way of Tesco and Dobbies working together to allow our customers to benefit from the strengths of each brand. People in Inverness will be able to enjoy an additional destination experience that the Dobbies centre will offer whilst customers are visiting Tesco to do their weekly shop."